Egypt: An Economic GeographyFouad N. Ibrahim (author)

The author describes the problems of food supply for a rapidly growing population, reviews the effects of water and land shortage, and considers the impact of globalization on Egypt's attempt to industrialize. The structural difficulties besetting Egypt's economy - population explosion, a seriously negative balance of payments, massive debt, unemployment, brain drain and corruption - have already been eased by the rise of tourism which is so vulnerable to Islamist terrorism.

Tables vii

Figures ix

Illustrations x

1 The State of Egypt at the Beginning of the Third Millennium 1

2 The People of Egypt 8

The complexity of Egyptian identity |8 Women in Egyptian

society |15 The Copts - the descendants of the Pharaohs as a minority

today |23 The Nubians - a people without a homeland ||27 The

Bedouin of the marginal deserts |27 Dynamics of growth,spatial

distribution and migration of the Egyptian population |29

3 From Foreign Rule to Self-determination 34

Egypt's history seen from an Egyptian perspective |34

Civil society in Egypt - an agent of social and political change??|37

4 Egypt's Natural Potential 42

Geological and morphological structures of the country |42

Climatic conditions |50 Soils |52 Vegetation,fauna and the processes

of desertification |53

5 The Regional Structure of Egypt 57

The Western Desert |57 The Eastern Desert |60

The Sinai Peninsula and the Suez Canal Zone |61

The Nile Valley |64 The Nile Delta |65

6 Egypt 's Water Resources and Water Demand 67

Rainfall in Eg ypt - an under--used potential |68 Groundwater -

a limited resource |69 The Nile |70

7 Development and Features of the Egyptian Economy 93

From socialism to capitalism - fifty years of changing economic

policies |93 Deregulation of the economy and the problems of

unemployment and migration |99 Education and the labour force |103

Egypt as a rentier state |110 8 Egypt 's Agriculture under Stress 114

Foreign currency versus food security |114 Land tenure and land

distribution in Egypt |114 Historical development of Egypt 's agricultural

production |121 The country 's agricultural production today |124

Land reclamation - Egypt 's hope for the future |140 Animal husbandry

and the fishing industry |153

9 Old and New Industries in Egypt 157

The history of industrialization in Egypt |157 The economic and

political background of Egyptian industries |163 The problems of

Egypt 's industries today |170

10 Tourism in Egypt 175

International tourism |175 Domestic tourism |197

11 Egypt 's Urban Centres and Rural Settlements 202

Cairo metropolis |202 Mediterranean metropolis:Alexandria |222

The regional capitals |235 Towns in the desert - a rediscovered

urbanization strategy for Egypt |241 Egypt 's rural settlements |245

12 The Prospects for Egypt 's Economy at the Beginning of the Twenty-

first Century 247

The struggle for economic transformation |247 Egypt 's capital

investment environment |250 Boosting research and technological

development |251 Agricultural mega-projects for the third millen-

nium |252 Sustainability of development in Egypt |254

References 255

Index 280

Fouad N. Ibrahim is Professor of Social Geography at the University of Bayreuth. Barbara Ibrahim has researched and written extensively on social and economic issues as they relate to the geography of Africa in general and Egypt in particular. She has taught geography at a number of institutions in Germany.

"very useful and remarkably up-to-date textbook... It certainly fills a gap in the...literature on the geography of North Africa and the Middle East...excellent textbook." Keith Sutton, Manchester University"

A comprehensive and informative synopsis of the economic and social issues of a crucial country within the Arabic world (...) which deserves to be read as widely as possible." Eckart Ehlers, Erdkunde: German Geographical Journal (translated from German)

Description

The author describes the problems of food supply for a rapidly growing population, reviews the effects of water and land shortage, and considers the impact of globalization on Egypt's attempt to industrialize. The structural difficulties besetting Egypt's economy - population explosion, a seriously negative balance of payments, massive debt, unemployment, brain drain and corruption - have already been eased by the rise of tourism which is so vulnerable to Islamist terrorism.

Table of Contents

Tables vii

Figures ix

Illustrations x

1 The State of Egypt at the Beginning of the Third Millennium 1

2 The People of Egypt 8

The complexity of Egyptian identity |8 Women in Egyptian

society |15 The Copts - the descendants of the Pharaohs as a minority

today |23 The Nubians - a people without a homeland ||27 The

Bedouin of the marginal deserts |27 Dynamics of growth,spatial

distribution and migration of the Egyptian population |29

3 From Foreign Rule to Self-determination 34

Egypt's history seen from an Egyptian perspective |34

Civil society in Egypt - an agent of social and political change??|37

4 Egypt's Natural Potential 42

Geological and morphological structures of the country |42

Climatic conditions |50 Soils |52 Vegetation,fauna and the processes

of desertification |53

5 The Regional Structure of Egypt 57

The Western Desert |57 The Eastern Desert |60

The Sinai Peninsula and the Suez Canal Zone |61

The Nile Valley |64 The Nile Delta |65

6 Egypt 's Water Resources and Water Demand 67

Rainfall in Eg ypt - an under--used potential |68 Groundwater -

a limited resource |69 The Nile |70

7 Development and Features of the Egyptian Economy 93

From socialism to capitalism - fifty years of changing economic

policies |93 Deregulation of the economy and the problems of

unemployment and migration |99 Education and the labour force |103

Egypt as a rentier state |110 8 Egypt 's Agriculture under Stress 114

Foreign currency versus food security |114 Land tenure and land

distribution in Egypt |114 Historical development of Egypt 's agricultural

production |121 The country 's agricultural production today |124

Land reclamation - Egypt 's hope for the future |140 Animal husbandry

and the fishing industry |153

9 Old and New Industries in Egypt 157

The history of industrialization in Egypt |157 The economic and

political background of Egyptian industries |163 The problems of

Egypt 's industries today |170

10 Tourism in Egypt 175

International tourism |175 Domestic tourism |197

11 Egypt 's Urban Centres and Rural Settlements 202

Cairo metropolis |202 Mediterranean metropolis:Alexandria |222

The regional capitals |235 Towns in the desert - a rediscovered

urbanization strategy for Egypt |241 Egypt 's rural settlements |245

12 The Prospects for Egypt 's Economy at the Beginning of the Twenty-

first Century 247

The struggle for economic transformation |247 Egypt 's capital

investment environment |250 Boosting research and technological

development |251 Agricultural mega-projects for the third millen-

nium |252 Sustainability of development in Egypt |254

References 255

Index 280

Author Info

Fouad N. Ibrahim is Professor of Social Geography at the University of Bayreuth. Barbara Ibrahim has researched and written extensively on social and economic issues as they relate to the geography of Africa in general and Egypt in particular. She has taught geography at a number of institutions in Germany.

Review

"very useful and remarkably up-to-date textbook... It certainly fills a gap in the...literature on the geography of North Africa and the Middle East...excellent textbook." Keith Sutton, Manchester University"

A comprehensive and informative synopsis of the economic and social issues of a crucial country within the Arabic world (...) which deserves to be read as widely as possible." Eckart Ehlers, Erdkunde: German Geographical Journal (translated from German)